


Proper Training

by RussianEmpress



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Takes place after the movie. Poor Kylo.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-08 02:01:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5479124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RussianEmpress/pseuds/RussianEmpress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kylo Ren has much to learn on his way to becoming a proper Sith Lord. His assigned Handler isn't making it any easier on him. And now his miserable thoughts are plagued with that Jedi's face, and he can't get Rey out of his troubled head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It hurt to wake up. It was a gradual stabbing of numbness in his fingers, he flexed his hands and they felt broken. Nerves started to tingle to life in his arms before sharp pain would replace the faint tickle, marching over his chest and down his back, up his neck and as he tried to breathe through the plastic oxygen mask strapped to his bruised and battered face, he was sure he was going to pass out from the explosive pressure behind his eye sockets.

Weak! Weak, he screamed at himself. Pathetic! Disgusting and disgraceful! What a foul creature he was. How unworthy he was. Weak!

He gritted his teeth so hard, surely they would crack in his mouth and fall out if he didn’t release the tension in his swollen jaw. He yelled into the little mask and it fogged up with his breath. Machines beeped at his body slowly coming back up to speed, and before he could lurch up and start ripping away the IVs that ran alongside his arms, a black leather glove rested on his sweating forehead.

"Calm yourself, Master Kylo Ren. Calm."

That soothing low voice should have had the power to ease anyone who heard it. It sounded so friendly and warm, filled with a caring maternal echo, fatherly almost, and yet it just made Kylo Ren's skin crawl and empty stomach roll.

The gloved hand petted Kylo Ren's thick black hair off his face softy in a repeating wave.

"We don't want you ripping open that side wound again, now do we "

Side wound. Bleeding out in the snow. Blood splashing onto his heavy robes. His face a wet mess. A piercing blue lightsaber cutting his flesh. A girl. The girl. The Jedi.

Kylo Ren growled deep in his throat but the pain swelling up in his battered body turned it into an annoyed grunt. He jerked his head away from the soothing caressing, regretting it immediately as his neck muscles spasmed at the sudden flare of movement.

"Get out." Kylo Ren shouted, demanding for the other man to stop touching him. Or he thought he shouted, with the menace of a powerful Sith Lord. The same voice that sent Stormtroopers running in the opposite direction and even gave Commander Hoax a stiff chill up his own spine from time to time. Instead it was a scratchy plea that barely tumbled out of those pale white parched and chapped lips. The man above him chuckled, with unkind humor. He withdrew his hand and leaned a little over, so Kylo Ren could see his pandering smiling face. Upside, but there none the less. Kylo Ren glared at him and sucked in a heavy breath. It was hard to keep his powerful facade up when he looked like he took a good thrashing from a heard on rapid Ton Tons. His vision started to blur. His side hurt so much, it was unbelievable. His pounding head was going to kill him. The flesh on his face was on fire. He could feel the thick and heavy scar on his right cheek. Pulsing in agony. It hurt so much to breath, broken ribs and a shattered collar bone saw to that. 

"Now, now. Master Snoke would be rather sore with me if I up and abandoned you in your time of need. As your duly appointed Handler, I suggest you take it down a notch?" The man circled around the fallen Sith in training, that black leather gloved hand tracing around Kylo's shoulder and arms, like chalk on the ground. Kylo hated that title. He wasn’t a Handler, he was a glorified baby sitter. Which made it worse because Kylo Ren didn’t need to be watched over, even if it was for the smallest of things, like making sure the young man didn’t go into his fourth day without eating or sleeping. But such was Snoke’s command, reassuring Kylo that all Sith Lords had a left hand man to serve them with the pity things. Kylo found him to be incorrigible and insufferable at best. But he wasn’t about to swallow his pride and go crying to his Grand Master that he didn’t want him. He couldn’t be seen as THAT childish to the Knights of Ren.

"Get. Out. Ardisin." Kylo tried to command again.

The man “tisk”ed at the young man. He drew his arms behind his back and looked very proper, his neatly parted blond hair and perfectly hanging robes certainly gave him the air arrogance Kylo Ren knew him all too well for. Kylo promised himself he would force the other man to bite his tongue off if he dared to start lecturing him right now. Ardisin had a bad habit of starting a lot of sentences off with “I told you so.”

"Not many people survive being hit by a Bowcaster, as I'm sure you're aware. And then being attacked so violently by two Jedi with a bleeding hole in the gut. I'm impressed."

Kylo Ren did manage to sit up a bit, his rage driving him forward, draining him of what little strength he held to lean up on his elbows. Damn his screaming insides, he was far too mad to think about it. But God help him if it wasn’t the worst physical pain he had ever felt. Why did it all hurt so much? 

"ONE was a Jedi!" His poor throat ripped and chocked at the strain of him yelling. A mewling mother cat would have sounded fiercer.  
"The other was that worthless TRAITOR!"

And just like that, Kylo Ren feel right into his Handler's ingenious word play like the fool that he was. The man smirked, his dark blue eyes locked onto Kylo's, enjoying watching the Sith unconsciously squirm under the gaze.

"Disfigured AND defeated by only one Jedi, who hasn't even been a Jedi for more than an afternoon and a traitor you say? Ahhh, yes. FN-2187. The sanitation division trooper."  
Kylo Ren grinded his teeth, so red hot embarrassed, he began to feel incredibly light headed. He felt something trickle down his nose and then everything seemed to wash out in a muddy white. The other man made a grimace, as he saw the thick streams of blood suddenly spring to life from Kylo's nostrils. The poor boy’s face was ghost white, sweating and right as he talked down at him, his eyes started to swim inside his skull. They defocused and before Kylo knew it, they rolled back into his head and he promptly passed out. What little weight he had managed to lift up dropped like a bucket of loose rusty nails. His head bounced on the metal operating table. It made the man wince in mock sympathy. He sighed and waltzed over to the intercom in the little medical room. His heavy black boots click clacked on the metal floor. He pressed a button and said evenly,

"Increase Master Kylo Ren's morphine intake. The Lord seems to be in a bit of pain."

"Sir, are we reading these charts correctly? It shows the sedatives where turned off."

"Well, then turn them back on. Oh and do hurry in here. You morons are letting Master Kylo Ren hemorrhage..."

He released the button and allowed the medical staff to frantically look at their charts and reading. They would pass up the moment Kylo's medicine was turned off as a technical glitch, and never pin it back to his trusted Handler. Ardisin didn’t know the boy would start to bleed out of face like he was, but then again he never knew what to accept with him and his strange Jedi powers, or if the Force was messing up his innards. He didn’t know how that mumbo jumbo worked, and frankly he didn’t care. All he knew was that Lord Snoke’s forces were paying him a small fortune to keep an eye on Kylo Ren and handle the brat when necessary. It was getting harder to handle him however, as he grew older and stronger. It was much easier to punch Kylo in the face when he was a boy and force him to listen and obey that way. Now, well now it just invited Ardisin to be a touch more creative. 

Ardisin walked back to the passed out boy. He reached for the plastics breathing mask and tilted it up a little. He let the back of his knuckles graze at the steadily steaming blood line and wiped it away to the side. The blood smeared half of Kylo’s face like paint on a decorative tribal mask. Uugh. What a mess. The boy had always been a mess, but now it was displayed properly on the outside. Such a powerful thing, but so weak. Kylo should have been able to withstand the pain of his injuries without the aid of medication longer than that. Ardisin shook his head at him, almost disappointed.

But it didn't matter. He would get whipped into shape before Snoke could complete his training. And only then would Kylo Ren be a proper Sith Lord.

Ardisin would make sure of that.


	2. Chapter 2

He was so awkward. It was so painfully obvious that he didn’t know how to carry himself when he twiddled his tenth blade of grass between his nimble fingers. He couldn’t stop himself from pulling the little strands of greenery from the ground, turning his red flushed face down and snorting out a laugh through his nose every time she locked eyes with him. They sat shoulder to shoulder in the daylight, in the shade of ancient trees; it was her favorite place to have tea or picnics with him. He could stare at her forever, but when she turned her chin up, or peeked over her shoulders, or tilted her head around to face him, he froze in a sudden flare of horror and turned away. She wasn’t allowed to stare back at him like that. It wasn’t fair and he felt like such a stupid, silly little boy every time she did.

He knew that she was laughing _at_ him, even though she swore she wasn’t. That he just _made_ her smile. Her laughed soothed him, it even filled him with a strange joy, a feeling he was so foreign to...for some strange reason. When he couldn’t hold back his own smile anymore, he’s own handsome grin flashed at her. That delighted her even more and she pounced on him, knocking over the various glasses that were resting on top of the blanket she had brought out here for them to sit on and enjoy warm day on the soft grass. He doesn’t remember how she managed to drag him out here (or rather how he must have naturally followed her, obediently, when she expressed her want to enjoy the nice afternoon with him outside), but he felt like he couldn’t be luckier than in this moment. He was ready for her, scooping her into his lap as she grabbed onto his shoulders, but he wasn’t ready when she toppled them over on purpose so they would roll over one another, abandoning the safety of the blanket and sprawling out into the tall grass around them. Their matching white outfits were going to be stained and he knew he was going to disapprove of the mess. They both knew she would laugh it off and tell him not to let such little things in life bother him.

They stopped their rolling, somehow they ended up almost near the bank of a silent stream. The clear water sparkled in the sun, the faint breeze moved the grass gently, as she ended up straddling his hips, and he kept her in place with his strong hands on her waist. She laughed at him- _with_ him. He didn’t even realize how he sounded when he laughed so carefree, a deep chuckle in his chest that rose up out into the fresh air. The perfect opposite to her feather soft happiness that enveloped them both. 

She leaned down, her wisps of brown curls tickling his cheeks, the beads on her headband swayed. She blocked the bright sun from his eyes, how considerate of her, as she traced a finger from his forehead, down that Roman nose and he nipped at her fingertips when she touched his lips and stopped at his chin. 

“Ben?” She whispered down at him, his hand reached up and cupped her face, running as palm across her smooth round cheek. His fingers pushed back stray curls behind her ear. She leaned into his warmth, her smaller hands taking his, and holding it closer to her. She looked so utterly peaceful, eyes drifting shut, those rosy meek lips turned up. That sweet light smile dissolving slowly into a dull thin line, her mouth hanging slightly open as if she had forgotten what pleasant thing she was going to say next. 

“Yes?” He said, his own smile, faint, but still on his face. Why did it feel strange to have her say his name like that? Or was it strange hearing it? It didn’t feel right either way. She tilted her head, slowly, and the bright sun pierced his eyes again, a flash of blinding white and he squinted hard, shutting his eyes away from it. 

“What are you doing here, Ben?” She asked seriously. He looked puzzled, hurt even, or maybe that was just the searing bright light that bite at his eyes still. Why would she ask something so…strange. Where else would he be, if not by her side? Her face feel into darkness, Ben could hardly see her features. 

“You’re not supposed to be here.” She said, without giving him the chance to voice his response. 

“You’re not allowed to be here. You threw it all away. You had your chance. You had you chance, and you ruined it. You ruined everything.”

She stood, violently quick. He didn’t even feel her weight shift. One second she was there, the next she just stood towering over him, the sun still burned in his eyes and he couldn’t shield from it even though he tired to put his hands up. He didn’t understand what she was saying. Muddled words that weren’t angry, nor upset, they just were. They were nothing but facts being stated. His heart raced, his stomach twisted and he couldn’t see. 

“---?” He called out to her, that incredibly rare hitch of panic in his voice shook his vocals. His head suddenly spinning from the constant blinking he was forced to do, the sun, no matter how he turned his head or tried to cover himself, still bore into him and it was blinding him. He reached out for ---, her white robes and scarf billowing in the windless air. She was standing right before him and he couldn’t touch her, his hand grasped for her and he pulled back with nothing. 

He called out her name again, and her response was the same string of questions, blaming him for ruining everything. It was then the panic rose when she was gone and Ben could see again. His strained eyes rapidly blinked over and over again, his heart slowing down, returning to its normal light beating. He twisted to look behind him and saw nothing but peaceful meadows, blades of endless grass moving in waves in a sea of green. He turned around himself, looking up and down, but it was just him in the midst of a completely quiet day. He yelled out ---’s name again, her name becoming mute to his own ears. He tried to call out again, and no sound came forth. He wrapped his hands around his throat, trying in vain to produce a sound, as if this would save him from the utter silence of being completely alone. 

The silence was chocking him. His hands grabbed at the white collar of his tunic and he pulled, but the fabric wouldn’t budge. He was suffocating, alone in the middle of nature’s beautiful day. He fell to his knees, finger nails digging into the flesh of his throat, attempting to rip the skin off if he had to, if it would help. On his knees, and yelling into a void that consumed every little noise he could have made. 

It was a quick change, like a star winking out of existence. One moment it shined brightly, a beacon of hope, the next it was snuffed out into the thick inkiness of space. The grass below him hardened into hard rock, the endless open fields of the blooming meadow was forever hidden behind massive stonewalls that rose up, the fresh air thinning away, leaving quietly and seeping out of the room like life from a corpse. The sun blocked out forever and in its place in the smallest of windows at the top of the solid black roof the moon shone dimly under a sky of ash and volcanic smoke. 

“Rise Kylo Ren.” That gentle voice called above him, laced with so much authority it was frightening to even think about disobeying it. He rose up, off shaking knees, a frozen black waterfall of heavy black robes and a cloak weighed hung off his tired shoulders, weighing him down severely. He had already forgotten what it felt like to have the light and bright weight robes on him, hanging loosely off his thin frame. His head remained bowed down and he was sure his neck would break if he tried to lift it with his familiar mask securely fastened over his face. At least he could breath again, the soft clicks inside his helmet told him he was indeed breathing again, in and out, evenly. It was a fight to stand. 

“Yes, my Master.” He said, his voice clipped and alien behind the metallic ring of the voice adaptor behind his hood. He bowed low to his Supreme Leader, that old ancient creature burning his blank stare on top of Kylo’s whole being.

“Go. Go forth into the darkness. Bring glory upon your name.” Sith Lord Snoke commanded, a gnarly old finger stabbed in his direction and now that Kylo Ren’s subconscious had caught up with him, he realized where this nightmare was going, just like all the others had. Black coils would wrap around his struggling frame, binding his limbs tightly and dragging him into a black hole in the ground. Snoke’s stare would long linger after he would wake, and he would spend the day extra aware of his own movement. The only difference in this dream, Kylo Ren was dragged down while crying out for someone’s name that he couldn’t hear in his own ears. 

Kylo Ren awoke calmly, like he always had after his nightmares, no matter how frightening they may have been in his head. His days of jerking awake were far, far behind him, and he faced the waking world with a silent dignity. This time he was absolutely numb and it was a blissful feeling or rather the lack of any. Nothing hurt, skin wasn’t catching fire with every muscle spasm, nerves weren’t screaming at him even if they weren’t moving, and best of all, he felt like he was about to slip back into sleep, and this time, hopefully, without any dreams or nightmares to bother him. He was seconds away from succumbing to the sweet surrender of darkness again, when his master, in the reality of this realm, and not the dream one, summoned him in his mind.   
_“Come to me at once.”_ The command slipped over his mind like lamp oil. Cold and consuming. It was petrifying to feel the slight edge of angry in the summons. The Sith Lord who never allowed himself to express too much emotional stress was practically drowning Kylo Ren in it through their bond. 

It didn’t matter to Snoke that the young man still had IVs and medical equipment attached to him. Frankly, Kylo Ren didn’t care either. He wanted to get up but when he didn’t move immediately, it became a small battle of mind over body. It didn’t matter what kind of drugs were coursing through his veins at the moment, he just had to will himself to put that all aside and regain control over himself. But he had to do it quickly. Supreme Leader Snoke was an ancient creature of eternal patience, but he hated to be kept waiting. 

Kylo Ren flexed his numb fingers, wrists rotated from side to side and then one arm followed the other and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. 

“Well look who decided to join us in the land of the living.” Ardisin said from the foot of his bed. Kylo Ren knew he was there, he wouldn’t be able to call him a Sith Lord if he hadn’t felt his presence the moment he woke up. That didn’t annoy him any else though. 

“I’m sure you’re over joyed.” Kylo Ren said dryly and tried to clear his dry windpipes. Sounding like a squeaking mouse in front of Master Snoke wouldn’t do. He saw a glass pitcher of water near Ardisin and willed it to come to him. The pitcher lifted up as if someone was holding it and it came to Kylo Ren’s out stretched hand. The water didn’t even sway. He grasped the handle and downed the contents. It was unbelievably refreshing. It was the little things in life…

“Such hurtful things, you say Master Kylo Ren. Of course I am. I would be out of job otherwise.” He smiled. Kylo Ren didn’t even give him the pleasure of a glare. He just ignored him and pulled at the tubes inside his arms. Ardisin crinkled his nose when the thin needles popped out of Kylo’s skin, throwing little lines of blood around the table, staining it. He ripped the little plastic tube that ran up his nose and he flicked his tongue over medicine coated teeth and winced at the taste. He spat on the floor and Ardisin nose scrunched up again. The Sith Handler was such a dainty thing at times, acting as if Snoke confined in him personal, like he was better than all the other Knights. When in realitly he was nothing more than a glorified baby sitter, maid and little snitch from time to time. It made Kylo Ren smile inside his head when he knew that if Snoke even remotely became annoyed with him he would smear his inside on to the ground in front of his chair in his chambers. 

Finally Kylo Ren’s legs twitched and his feet responded to his will. He swung his legs over the edge of the table. He was proud of himself for not doubling over in pain when his side screamed in protest, but he couldn’t help but grunt and wrap a protective arm around his waist. He looked down at the bandaged midsection and was happy to see it didn’t start bleeding. Like it should have….shit.

Kylo Ren snapped his head up at his Handler. 

“How long have I been here?” He demanded. Ardisin looked up at the white ceiling and counted on his fingers, putting on a little dramatic show for Kylo Ren. He counted off one finger, two, three, and wiggled his fourth. 

“Hmm, I would say about 4 days.” 

Kylo Ren jaw jumped when he clamped his teeth together. Four days!? No wonder Snoke didn’t even wait for him to regain full consciousness, and summoned him at the first blink of his eyes. His hand shot up to his face. His fingertips traced over the rough new lines that would forever decorate his features and frowned. His new scar had healed over, and now he could feel the puckered skin run across his chin, nose, and forehead.

“Mirror.” He barked. Ardisin stood and found on, a small on but with a clean reflection regardless, and handed it to the irritated young man. He crossed his arms over his chest and spoke his opinion that nobody asked him for. 

“I think it looks rather...hmm...dashing.” He snickered. Kylo Ren turned the mirror up and down, astonished at the very deep scare that split his face in two, and ugly line running smoothly diagonally across his young skin. He wasn’t vain, or at least he told himself that, but he wasn’t a fan of having such a large and very visible scare on his face of all places. It was an amazing piece of battle damage that should have been worn proudly anywhere else, it did come from a Jedi’s lightsaber after all, but damn it, if it didn’t make him boil in ire that this was the doing of that clumsy girl. 

“You’re still pretty, if you’re worried about Lord Snoke tossing you to the side. He won’t.” Kylo Ren threw the mirror with a wave of his hand at Ardisin. Without having any grace, or combat training, the Handler wasn’t much to look at when he ducked, almost like a cartoon character with his arms flaying around himself as the mirror clipped the side of his head. 

Kylo Ren stood and ignored the beeping machines. The medical staff knew better to come barging in and ordering a Sith Lord around. Ardisin gathered Kylo Ren’s black clothing and boots and set them beside him. The young man quickly dressed himself, clipped his belt around him, mindful of the huge healing blaster hole in his side and dawned on his robes. He stretched his arm out and his heavy helmet flew into his hand, and clicked it into place. He breathed in deeply, preparing himself to meet his master, already trying to come up with the right things to say when he knew he was about to face punishment for losing the map that lead to Luke Skywalker, a new Jedi prisoner, failing to kill a traitor in the ranks, losing a fight to both said Jedi and traitor and all in the same day that the Star Killer was destroyed. Kylo Ren swallowed heavily. This might actually be it. This might be the day Snoke decides his failures far outweigh anything else and would crush him. 

_“He’ll crush you…you know it’s true…”_

Kylo Ren stumbled, light headed as blood drained away from his face so quickly. He caught the edge of the table behind him. Ardisin’s gloved hands caught him under his elbow and wrapped an arm around his back, steadying him up straight. Kylo Ren shook his head and then shoved the blond man away from him. He marched out of the room and made his way down his master sacred chambers. Ardisin watched those heavy black robes swirl behind Kylo Ren and he 'tisk'ed at him when he was out of earshot. He hoped that Kylo Ren came back alive, because again, he didn’t want to be out of job. 

///

It’s always startling to see his Master in this physical form. Maybe because the tall alien reeked such raw and evil power, it could overwhelm anyone that wasn’t trained to be near it. It still made Kylo Ren’s head spin a little. He would get used to it, as he always did, but being fresh from the medical bay, he had to really force himself to keep that empty stomach of his from shooting bile up his throat. That was the last thing he needed right now, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself any further in front of his master. 

Kylo Ren entered the stone chamber with quick and assured footsteps. He bowed first, dipping himself forward at the waist, wincing and hating himself for it because he knew that Snoke could see his face even behind the pitch ebony mask. He took a knee in front of Supreme Lord Snoke and waited. Snoke sat, like he always did, in his stone chair and stared down at Kylo Ren’s slim frame. He sighed loudly, a heavy breath racing out of his nose. Kylo Ren prayed if he was going to get trashed to death, it would be quick. He wouldn’t be able to fight back anyway, so he could only hope Snoke was too busy to spend the proper time to actually torture him until he was dead. 

“Stand. Come to me.” Snoke said gently, discipline in every word. Kylo Ren tilted his head up and saw Snoke crook a finger at him, calling him closer. He stood as he was told and wasn’t sure how to proceed further. He was already as close to Snoke as anyone dared to be, right before his robes, close enough for the Sith Lord to place a hand on the back of one’s head to either crush it or praise it. Kylo Ren had been on the praise-receiving end thus far. 

“Closer, boy.” His Master felt his confusion, his slight fear of being too close but too far at the same time, unsure if he was being drawn in to be humiliated, or if he was acting stupidly and was unsure of his awkward long limbs being too close for comfort. He was a jumble of mixed emotion and all over such a simple little movement. Snoke made a grab for him, he placed his thin and long fingers on the boy’s shoulder and pulled him closer. The Supreme Leader was such a large being that his hand almost wrapped around all the way around the boy’s shoulders. Like a doll, he could be trodden very easily if that was to be his fate. Kylo Ren let the rest of himself follow his Master’s guidance. 

“Remove your helmet.” 

And he did. He reached both his hands up and took hold of the black and chrome piece of armor. The air hissed at the pressure release and Kylo Ren pulled it off his face, his thick black hair fell down around him and bounced into place. He shook in Snoke’s grip. His bare face only a few inches away from his Master’s own mangled mess of muscle tendons that were forever exposed and very old flesh that barely covered teeth and bone. Kylo Ren wondered more than once if looking like this was the result of achieving such great power. He prayed again that that wasn’t the most front forming thought in his mind right now, or if it was, Snoke would forgive his childish, utterly stupid and superficiality thinking. 

Instead, Snoke brought those cold fingers up and touched Kylo Ren’s scare. Tracing ever so carefully the tip of the narrow slash that started just a little above his eyebrow ridge down to the wider split that ended at his chin. His fingers weren’t just cold, no, they were incomprehensibly unfeeling. He was studying so much more than just Kylo Ren’s little cut. He was on a completely different level of comprehension. Whatever he was studying took forever and Kylo Ren stayed as perfectly still as he could, being bent as he was, being in the hands of the most powerful being in the galaxy, bare and exposed. Snoke was in his mind the second he woke up, before that even, and now he was physically studying him. Kylo Ren felt the actual bones of those tips that were barely hidden under that decaying flesh and he kept his eyes down. Snoke took his time tracing his pet’s face. 

Snoke’s next move was so sickeningly quick, Kylo Ren was forever convinced that he didn’t _actually_ move. No, Snoke just willed Kylo’s lightsaber into his hand and it just appeared. No Force, no tricks, it was on Kylo Ren’s belt one split second, and the next it was in the Supreme Leader’s hand. Snoke’s hand on his shoulder tightened, keeping his apprentice in place, and his other hand flicked on the ruby red lightsaber. The dangerous energy sprang to life, cracking and licking at the exposed air. Snoke’s large eyes narrowed menacingly. His permeate frown thinned out, and he breathed angrily through flared nostrils. Kylo Ren closed his eyes, he couldn’t help it. It was his body’ natural defense against the searing red hot iron that was only a wrist flick away from his face, the unscarred side, just begging to be branded for his spectacular list of failures. 

Kylo Ren wondered how painful this would actually be, having a lightsaber strip your flesh off your face. The final slash from the Jedi’s sword was quick, he’s body was at the peak of his adrenalin high, his rage powering him through the pain at his side, the blood loss and whatever else that he was feeling. He remembered the girl pulled up her arms, he was stumbling, the planet itself was ripping apart and shaking under their boots, and suddenly he was on his back. He didn’t even see the sky for too long before he promptly passed out, his body shutting down finally from the exertion. He honestly didn’t even feel the lightsaber, he just remembered the streak of blue, those angry brown eyes and then darkness. Now, fully awake and fully aware of his surroundings, he knew Snoke wasn’t going to just cut him, but see how deep he could drive the lightsaber down, maybe until he hit the bone of his skull. Maybe even further than that. 

Kylo Ren began to sweat from the heat, his jaw hurt from keeping his mouth shut, teeth starting to itch from the insane pressure. 

“Oh Kylo Ren. What am I to do, when you leave me with such few options.” His whisper was almost lost among the high sizzling noise of the sword’s energy and the blood that was thundering in Kylo Ren’s ears. He smelled his hair burning before he felt the heat getting closer and closer to his scalp. His mouth fell open and he gasped over and over. He couldn’t think of anything to say.

“There is nothing you CAN say, you pitiful excuse.” Snoke spat, still in a hushed whisper. No amount of yelling could have been half as threatening.

“A Jedi? A CHILD? I,” He touched his own chest and then Kylo Ren’s chest softly with an open hand, “WE felt her awaking. This girl didn’t even know what she was when the sun had risen and now she swings a lightsaber wildly, bests you, not just in combat but slips out of your grasp while aboard your own ship with the only map that knew the location of Luke Skywalker that you barely could attain and lost without even revealing his secret whereabouts?” 

Snoke didn’t bother using his own physical strength to fling Kylo Ren across the room, and opted to use a fraction of his Force powers and shove him so hard into a stone pillar, it cracked. Or maybe it was the sound of his own back cracking. It was hard to tell when he tumbled to the floor. He groaned and bit back his crying. He crawled as far as he could, back to Snoke’s raised alter and like the good and obedient Padawan that he was, forced himself to kneel once more before his master. Just like he was taught. Blood surged in his mouth and down his nose. He paid it no mind, head bowed. The blood dripped neatly in a puddle under him and it grew rapidly, enough that he caught a reflection of himself. He was beyond terrified, his very core shaken and rattling in heart stopping fear. Panic and anxiety flooded all his senses. ‘Calm.’ He chanted to himself hastily. ‘Calm. Calm. It’s over. Calm. Calm. Calm.’ 

Lord Snoke chuckled unkindly. He flicked the red saber off, the fiery light falling away and he tossed the heavy piece of medal to skid across the temple floor and stop at the tip of Kylo Ren’s boot. 

“It is far from over, my boy.” He sighed though, suddenly bored of being angry, or just bored of dealing with the shivering Kylo Ren. 

“Bah.” He waved his hand carefree around him and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His long nails scratching at his hollow cheeks. 

“The Star Killer doesn’t even concern me. It did it’s job of obliterating the Republic, that was it’s main purpose. Anything after that would have just been a flashy show of the First Order’s power.”   
He sighed again. Lord Snoke wasn’t much for talking much, let alone for this long. Kylo Ren guessed it was because he had to wait four long days so he could lash out at him, properly, finally, in person. 

“General Hux has found the girl.” He said almost as an after thought. Kylo Ren remained motionless, just watching his blood leave his face while listening to his master respectfully.  
“Or rather the location. You will retrieve her. Now. I have lost too much time for your mistakes. But having the young Jedi just might make up for it. Go.”

Kylo Ren nodded, got up, turned on his heel and tried to march out of the room without wobbling too much. The sudden rush of having to move so quickly after the harsh handling of his bruised and tired body made him unsteady. His face was covered in warm blood, he couldn’t catch his breath, and he shook with a new sort of worried stricken adrenalin. He wasn’t allowed to fail this. Lord Snoke didn’t have to say it. That’s just what it was. Kylo Ren was short on time, and his head hurt, but he had to do this immediately. Without bothering to wipe the blood off his face, he put his helmet back on and felt for General Hux. He was in luck, he felt him in seconds. The red haired army general was in the docking bay. 

Stormtroopers where shoved to the side as Kylo Ren rushed past them, as was anyone else who didn’t know any better than to not be in the path of the Sith Lord in training. Standing next to another person in the First Order uniform, General Hux had a data pad in his hands, talking and pointing to the information on it. The other man nodded along. Kylo Ren came up to them, and brashly interrupted. Or rather the other man was wise enough to just stop talking when his powerful black clad figure approached with haste. General Hux looked like he was going to roll his eyes but he was having a good day so far and would have liked to keep it that way, so he would abide to Kylo Ren’s self imposing importance among the crew. 

“Master Kylo Ren. How may-“

“Where is she.” Kylo Ren snapped coolly already losing patience from standing there, wasting his breath.

General Hux reached into his coat pocket and presented the masked man a chip. He pressed it between his fingers and a small map bloomed into the air with digital stars and notes scribbled in blank spaces. He explained that after the Star Killer fiasco and mad scrambling, they had managed to capture a fleeting piece of footage of the Millennium Falcon taking off and heading towards a certain section. It was just enough to pin them and guess what direction they were going. Post and after post, sighting after sighting, and any other bounty hunters that were still on the First Order’s pay roll would make reports and within a few days, they had isolated the only place Millennium Falcon had stayed for longer than 4 hours. 

General Hux pushed the chip again and it zoomed into the section of selected places and then fully colored images of the location itself reflected off of Kylo Ren’s visor. It was an island with hundreds, if not thousands of miles of dangerous ocean waters on all sides. It was the island he saw in the Jedi girl’s mind. He bit the inside of his cheeks and his mouth filled with a new splash of his blood. He wanted to scream in frustration. He had this piece of information before but he had no idea what it was or how he could have used it. It didn’t matter. Everything that had ben nudged out of place was going to be aliened once more. He made a sift swat at Hux’ hand and grabbed the chip. The General gave him a disproving look of contempt, he didn’t need to snatch it out of his hand like a brat. He was going to give it him, he was already informed that this was to be Kylo Ren’s mission. He would have given it to him had he just ordered it, but no, he had to flaunt his ego. General Hux turned back to the man who became a little paler in the Knight’s shadow, and resumed their conversation. Kylo Ren was half way across the docking bay, rounding up his team of Stormtroopers to accompany him to this island in the middle of nowhere that held his prize. 

Once aboard his ship, he sat on one of the benches, brooding in disdain of himself, flexing and unflexing his hands. His leather gloves cracking under the pressure. Two other soldiers on either side of him flooded him with their weak feelings of scared nerves, worried that their Lord would become too agitated at any given moment and take his frustrations out on them. He breathed in deep the scent of his own blood that swirled inside his helmet and ignored them. He focused on how it was important that this was only blood Lord Snoke made him bleed today. All his limbs were still attached, nothing was permanently broken, and he was sent on his new mission moments later. What he received just now may as well had been a slap on the wrist. Even more proper would have been a stern finger wagging. 

It was all behind him now. It didn’t matter. All that mattered now was to come back victorious. The Jedi girl…Rain? Reh…Rey. Was that the name that echoed in her lonely thoughts when he read her mind? There were so few people in her past that everyone who ever spoke to her seemed to refer to her as “Girl”, “You”, “Scrap Rat”, and a strange and unwelcome “Little Desert Flower”. Was that the name he heard in the forest? Was that the name that traitor called out in the cold night air, at the height of his panic when Kylo Ren used the Forced to throw her a dozen yards away from them? It was an ugly name that held no power. It didn’t match those strong and lovely eyes that bore into his when their respected lightsabers crashed against one another.   
Yes. That was it. “Rey.” 

The shuttle rumbled to life, the engines, as powerful as they were, were soundless and they were airborne, rapidly approaching the atmosphere.  
He swore to himself, and to even his grandfather that he wouldn’t fail again. Not this time around. This time it would be very different. 

And if it wasn’t… Snoke’s ever lingering presence that hid in the back of his mind promised him that drowning in those icy ocean waters would be a far kinder fate than returning empty handed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, yall. Sorry for the long radio silence. Holidays, ya know.   
> Rey's gonna have a big headache soon. Poor darling. Be strong child! Be strong!


End file.
